1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic filing apparatus, such as an image data storing/retrieving apparatus, for storing or retrieving image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electronic filing apparatus for reading image data of a large number of documents using a scanner (2-dimensional scanning device), storing the read image data in an optical disk, retrieving and reading desired image data stored in the optical disk and outputting the image data to an output device such as a CRT display capable of outputting the image data in a visible form is put to practical use. In the above apparatus, image data of a plurality of pages of documents is managed for each file. In this type of apparatus, when file data is input and registered, image data of each page of the file must be read for each page by use of a scanner. Then, the title of the file and a keyword for retrieval are attached to each file to be registered.
Conventionally, the order of image data items in the file to be registered is set to be the same order in which the image data items have been input irrespective of the order of the pages in the file. Therefore, in order to display the image data items in the same order as that of pages of the file at the time of retrieval, it is necessary to input the image data items in the same order as that of the pages of the file constructed by the image data items, that is, operate the scanner to read the image data items according to the order of the pages of the file.
For this reason, when or before the operator inputs file data, it is a common practice to check the order of the pages. However, when file data of a large number of pages is continuously input, for example, the order of the pages may be frequently reversed, some pages may be erroneously omitted or the same page may be input twice.
Further, in order to check whether or not the image data items of the file of a large number of pages are correctly arranged, that is, to check whether or not the image data items are registered in a correct order, the operator must actually display the image data of each page on the display and therefore much labor and time must be taken for the checking operation.
Even when an automatic paper feeder is attached to the scanner to effect the automatic continuous registration process, the amount of work will be substantially the same as in the case where documents are set into the scanner for each page if the operator is required to check each page. Particularly, even when the automatic continuous registration process is effected in an unmanned environment, it is necessary to visually check all of the pages, while displaying the registered image data of each page after the image data items of all of the pages are registered. It is also necessary to re-register the image data into the optical disk by use of the file editing function or input the image data again when the direction or order of the image data items is detected to be wrong.
Thus, in the conventional electronic filing apparatus, the image data registering process is the most troublesome process in the filing operation for the operator and there is a need to enhance the efficiency of the file registering process.
Further, when the direction or order of the image data items is detected to be abnormal in the registration operation, a troublesome operation of interrupting the registering operation, correcting incorrect input image data and then starting the registration operation again is repeatedly necessary, or the number of pages in which image data is detected to be abnormal are stored and the incorrect image data must be corrected by use of the file editing function or the like after the registration operation is completed.
In order to enhance the efficiency of the file registering operation, various countermeasures have been proposed. For example, in a case where a large number of files are automatically registered, the operator creates only title data and describes and stores the same into a mark sheet or file (for example, floppy disk) before input operation, instead of inputting the title data of the file by use of the keyboard at the time of inputting image data. At the time of inputting image data, the operator sets the mark sheet or floppy disk into the electronic filing apparatus and starts the operation. Then, the apparatus reads the title data, automatically supplies the title to the file to be registered according to the title data and stores the same into the optical disk. When the file is registered by use of the above function of the apparatus, the efficiency of the registration operation can be enhanced because it is not necessary to input the title data by use of the keyboard at the time of registration of the file. However, the operator is required to display each image data item on the display at the time of or after registration in order to check whether or not the image data items are actually input in the correct direction and order and therefore the amount of work necessary for the checking operation is not reduced at all.
An apparatus utilizing the character recognition technique for file registration is proposed. With the apparatus, the operator previously specifies a desired area in input image data to extract data (for example, character series) in the specified area as title characters of the image data, add a title/keyword character series, which is obtained by recognizing the extracted character series and converting the same to code data, to the image data and register the character series together with the image data. That is, it is possible to recognize the drawing number and register the file with the drawing number used as a title. With this apparatus, since the title of the file to be registered is automatically extracted and determined from the image data itself at the time of inputting the image data, it is not necessary for the operator to input the title of the file. Further, when the direction of the input image data is inclined, a title character series may be erroneously recognized since the drawing direction of characters in the title character series specifying area is inclined, and as a result, erroneous input of the image data can be detected. However, in the case of this apparatus, since the character series of the file to be recognized is processed as the title/keyword character series of the file when the file having a plurality of pages is registered, an error in the order of the pages or omission of pages cannot be detected for the file in which the direction of input image data is correct.
As described above, various types of conventional electronic filing apparatuses designed to enhance the efficiency of the registration operation have been developed and proposed, but countermeasures for errors, which may frequently occur when a file of a plurality of pages is continuously registered, have not been taken, and as a result, the operator is required to display the image data of each page over all of the pages on the display at the time of or after registration and visually check the image data for each page. Thus, there is a strong need to enhance the efficiency of the operation of registering the file.
In the prior art, in order to register the file of a plurality of pages and display the image data items in the same order as the actual order of the pages of the file, it is necessary to input image data items in the same order as that of the pages of the file constructed by the image data items. When the order in which the image data items are input is detected to be different from that of the pages of the file, the registration operation must be interrupted or the image data items input in an erroneous order must be input again. Further, in a case where the image data is checked after completion of the registration, the image data items of all of the pages must be displayed and the efficiency of the registration operation will be lowered.